A Run In With Death
by pretend it was just a dream
Summary: Follow Alvera Arca, a District 5 female tribute, through her Games. "I can see his eyes are widened by surprise as well. I can see the horror in them. I know mine hold the same emotion. My name has been called. I am going to die." Takes place in the 73rd Hunger Games.
1. This Will Change Everything

All around me there is silence. I don't move, in fact, I'm not even sure I'm taking air into my lungs. The only thing I am doing is trying to hold onto reality. Again the voice of Licia Canistri, the District 5 escort, reaches my ears, "Where is Alvera Arca? Come on up, honey." I quickly send a look of distress to my twin brother, Izel, who is stand just across the isle. I can see his eyes are widened by surprise as well. I can see the horror in them. I know that mine hold the same emotion. My name has been called. I am going to die.

I stutter as I say, "I-I-I'm here. Over here." Without my knowledge my feet begin to move toward the stairs of the giant, brick building ahead of me. I am aware of cameras flashing, some capitol reporter is capturing this moment. That image will be around for the rest of my life and beyond that. I am not going to be alive much longer.

I am standing at the top of the stairs, my mind blank. It's time to choose the male tribute for the 73rd annual Hunger Games, or as I call them, the Murder Games. As Licia's purple painted finger nails reach the slips of paper that hold peoples lives, only then do I start to hope that Izel and our little brother, Alexander ( we call him Xander) don't get called. That would mean that my parents would be losing not only their daughter, but also one of their sons. That would destroy them.

As Licia begins to speak again, I close my eyes. It can't be either one of them. Please God no. Please! "Killian Frazier, please come on up! You, too, have the wonderful opportunity to represent District 5 in the Hunger Games!" _Wonderful? Did she just call getting the death sentence wonderful? _Some one needs to shut her up and teach her the meaning of wonderful. Wonderful is the smell after a heavy rain on a hot day, wonderful is finding out that the guy you like likes you back. Being forced to participate in an event where you have to kill other kids your own age? Not so much.

After Killian reaches the top step, we shake hands. Looking him right in his dark blue eyes I say quietly, "Let's just hope it's not painful." He knows exactly what I mean. I mean that I hope our deaths are painless and quick, compared to slow and brutal. And I know he heard me because he laughs softly. He thinks that's funny? He thinks that our promised death is _funny._ God help this kid.

We are ushered into the Justice building and up the stairs to say our finally good byes. This next hour is going to be absolute hell.

__**AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this first chapter, I hope you liked it and it was worth your time. I am using names from Latin, Celtic, Aztec, and Greek origins right now. You can use them if you want to, just credit me in the authors note and send me a pm. There will be a another chapter up soon, I promise. I hope to have one up by Saturday. **_

_**Again, I hope you liked the first chapter of A Run In With Death! You should definitely review! Key word in that sentence is REVIEW! Tell me if it's awful, good, needs nor purple carnivorous unicorns, anything!**_

_**DFTBA (Don't Forget To Be Awesome)!**_


	2. Say Good-bye

The door slams closed behind the peacekeeper who dragged me here. The room is dark even thought there are two windows that allow the bright sunlight spill across the floor. There's a bookcase in the corner, I'm not sure why though, no one has ever, and will never occupy this room for longer than an hour. There are two love seats facing each other, covered in black leather, but I can't sit down. I go to stand by the window that looks out onto the square. Families hug one another and have smiles on their faces because they have been spared.

This whole thing is unfair and unjust. It's legalized torture. But arguing is futile. No matter what, I will be forced into the Games. I will die, and most likely within the next two weeks. Before long, just standing still makes me feel like I will explode. I start pacing. I've been in the room for a little longer than ten minutes when I hear the door squeak open and a harsh voice sharply say, "Five minutes," before proceeding to close it.

I don't look up from the floor, I just keep to my rhythm. One step, two step, three step, turn. One step, two step, three step, turn. I hear a sigh,and in an annoyed tone the person says, "Vera! Stop pacing!" But I don't. One step, two step, three step, turn. One step, two step, three step, turn. Suddenly, hands grasp my shoulders, forcing me to stop. I try to push the hands away with no such luck.

Normally I would enjoy being in the company of this person, I mean, she is my best friend. "Quinn, stop it. Let me go!" I struggle to get free but she still won't give in. "No," she growls. "Listen to me, will ya? Please? At least look at me?"

I can't do that though. If I do, I'll start to cry, and I don't want to do that. I hate crying. It makes me feel week and pathetic, but because Quinn is my best friend, I do so any ways. Tears spill over my lashes before I can meet her brown eyes. "I don't know what I'm going to do! I'm so scared!"

"You're gonna win, that's what you're going to do!" She exclaims. Her faith in me is unbelievable. She believes in me, when I don't even confide in myself!

"That's easier said then done! Twenty-fou go in, only one comes out! Not to mention the careers who can kill me God knows how many ways with their thumbs! I DON'T STAND A CHANCE! And the sooner you accept that, the easier it will be while you watch me die!" She doesn't say anything for a while. In fact I'm sure that we only have forty-five seconds left when she says, "Just promise me...just promise me you'll try okay?"

I agree. I wrap my arms tightly around her, and she does the same. We hold onto each other. We are practically family. And when the door opens, we pull away. Not a single word is said during her departure. I stand waiting for the next person to arrive, except this time, it's not a single person, it's my family. My mom's crying, so is Xander. I can tell my dad is on the verge of tears. But one thing that I notice is that Izel's face is blank.

It doesn't surprise me thought. He always hides his emotions away. He puts them in a box and locks them away. He's impossible to read. And I've made the mistake of playing cards with him one too many times.

I go over and embrace my mother. She cries into my shoulder._ Shouldn't this be the other way around? Mother comforting daughter not daughter comforting mother?_ "Mom, it's okay. I'll be fine, I promise." She just nods. We all know I can't keep that promise. Xander is the next person to receive a hug. This is probably going to be the longest Games for him.

He's only twelve. He looks up to me and Izel, mostly me, because even though he's a sweet kid, he can get on your nerves. And Izel isn't very tolerant of people. My good-byes with my family don't involve much talking, just a lot of hugging.

I steal a glance at the clock and see that we only have one minute left, and while I love all my family, I want to spend it solely with the one who under stands me the most. I am uneasy as I ask, "Mom, Dad, Xander? Can I talk with Izel alone? Please?" We hug one last time and there are whispers of "I love you," before I see the last of my parents and little brother. I know I won't ever be seeing them again.

I sit on one of the love seats, he takes the other. I sigh, again failing an attempt to see what he's feeling. He startles me when he begins to speak. "You're afraid. Don't try to hide it now, you don't have to be strong for me. I can handle it. I'm a big boy."

He's right. He's the oldest, only two minutes older than me, but he's still the oldest. "I know. I know. It's just... " I can't finish. I was reaped at 17. It was my last year, with only twenty-two slips out of thousands.

"I know. You don't have to explain to me. It's alright. Just try your hardest. Stay hidden. Find some kind of weapon and make sure you have water and shelter. I believe in you. You're strong enough. I know I pick on you about being weak, but you're not. But you should act harmless, let everyone forget you exist. Save yourself for the last tribute. I guaranty you that last tribute will be a career. Soon enough you'll be back here."

I just stare at him. I take in every last detail. The way his black hair is falling into his eyes because it's gotten just a little too long. His bright blue eyes which pretty much match the color of mine and my dress. The way he always holds his head high. I've heard the other girls at school whisper as we walk to class. I hear the words hey call him. "Gorgeous", "hot", "sexy". And others I wish I could pretend I didn't hear because they were directed at my twin brother. I'm sure that if I weren't his sister I would be saying those things too.

I stand up and I start to speak again, but as soon as I open my mouth I start sobbing. Izel stands up quickly and protectively places me in his arms. He holds me tight. We've always been close, and we've been in this position before, except, at those times, it was always over something foolish, like some girls at school were making my life hell and I couldn't handle it any more and I just broke down. Or one time a guy I really liked broke up with me. But this, right now, might be the last time I ever hug him. I may never see him again.

And the door opens and we are being pried apart. I'm screaming "no" at the top of my lungs, still sobbing. He's just saying that he believes in me and that he will see me soon. And it's only when I am on the train watching my District fade into the background do I say, "Bye Izel, I love you." Because I realized I didn't say it when we saw each other for the last time. Neither did he. All I have left now are memories.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey everyone. That chapter took me all day to write, so it's good that I had a snow day! This is pretty much a transition chapter, I promise that it will get better. That's all I have to say for now so goodbye. Next chapter will be up soon. REVIEW AND DFTBA!**_


	3. A Fight And Tears

I hear a knock on my door some time in the early morning, around seven or eight in the morning. I don't remember going to bed last night. In fact, I'm surprised I slept at all. I just moan and roll over, not getting out of bed. The knocking is persistent, not letting me get back to sleep. "Go away," I call out to whomever is on the other side of the door. Instead of hearing foot steps, I hear my door open and close. I force myself to sit up and look at who ever is now occupying the space in front of the doorway. Killian has decided to grace me with his presence.

"What the hell are you doing in my room at," I look over at the clock. "Seven thirty? Why are you here? I was sleeping!" I yell at him. He just smirks and rolls his eyes. "Some one's grumpy. You might want to get up soon. We will be in the Capitol soon. Just giving you a heads up."

The sunlight that comes in through the windows makes his light brown hair shine. His eyes are just as dark as they were yesterday, but right now, he looks more alert. Killian is about six feet tall, he's taller than me by around four inches. I stand at five feet six inches, exactly.

"Just get out of my room, you shouldn't be in here anyway." This causes him to laugh. "You don't have to be so mean about it. I was just being nice," is all he says before he moves three feet closer. I am glaring at him now. How can this boy be such an idiot? "OUT! Get out of my room!" I point to the door

"Fine. I'm going, I'm going," he sys over his shoulder before the door closes with a click behind him. He was just so irritating. He's in my grade at school, I'm a junior in high school, we never got along in the first place. He always had been the class clown, disrupting class and what not. He had never been my favorite person in the world, mostly because he picked on my and my friends in elementary school. He would get his friends to tease us about really stupid things and pull our hair. I never paid much attention to him. But now, he's my district partner. I have to spend the rest of my life with the idiot. Just my luck.

I reluctantly get out of bed, not wanting to leave the covers. I had things to do today. It's a Saturday, at home I would have been working in my families book store, one of my favorite places in the world. I sigh and move to the dresser, pulling out a pair of blank pants and a simple t-shirt, which is alight blue color. I slip on the shoes I had on yesterday, and make my way down to the dining cart. When I get to the yellow painted room, I see that everyone else is already there. "She's alive!" On of my mentors, whose name is Alice, cries out. I just roll my eyes.

I've never been a morning person. I'm the girl who likes to wake up to absolute silence at ten in the morning. That's one of the reasons my parents moved my room down to the basement when I turned seven. Home is painful to think about. I feel my throat constrict. _I will not cry. I WILL NOT CRY! I won't do it! _Thankfully, as soon as I take my seat at the table, next to Alice and Licia, breakfast is served, bring the attention not to me, but to the food which has been placed in front of us. Thank God.

We make awkward small talk, trying to get to know one another. Licia comes up with the idea to go around the table and say our full names, ages, and something we like to do. Licia starts. "I'm Licia Ocean Canistri, I'm thirty-four, and I love shopping!" Next is Killian's turn, "Do we really have to do this? It's stupid."

"It's not stupid, and yes you do have to take your turn," Licia responds sharply. Killian mutters something under his breath before saying, "I'm Killian John Frazier, I'm seventeen, and I like to goof off with my friends. Happy?" He raises an eyebrow at our escort, who just ignores him.

"I'm Levi Adam Smith," says our other mentor who is sitting acros from me. "I'm twenty-four years old, and I like to play piano." Next is Alice's turn. She hesitates slightly before speaking. "I am Alice Scarlet Brooks, I'm twenty-two, and I like painting." I could imagine Alice as an artist. She just looks like the type. She's soft spoken and kind hearted. I have had the pleasure of talking to her multiple times before. She often comes to my family's shop.

Everyone stares at me, waiting to hear what I have to say. "Oh, um, I-I'm Alvera Star Arca, " I stammer. Speaking in front of people has never been my favorite things. I was always known as the quiet girl at school. I didn't really have friends. I had a few, like Quinn, but I didn't exactly fit in with the group. "I'm sixteen, and, uh...and I like reading." Of course Killian chooses then to call me out. "Of course you do," is all he says, but I don't have very much tolerance with him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is there something wrong with that? Hmm?" I snap at him, which causes Licia to try and calm me down. "Hey no nee-" is all she gets out before Killian buts in. "Its okay, she's just moody this morning," he says before whispering loudly, "I think it's her time of the month."

This just makes me even more angry. "Excuse me! Who do you think you are?!" I yell at him standing up. "I'm Killian Frazier, that's who I am. But you're a bitch, that's who you are." He also stands up. I walk over to him with five long strides, and slap him across the face. He puts his hand to his bright pink cheek, and just stands there for a moment. He then glares at me, he has a murderous rage look in his eyes. He shoves hard. I shove him back, then it his turn. Soon it's not just shoving, we are name calling too. Words that I would never say flow out of my mouth. He returns them with names like "whore", "bitch", and "slut". Soon I lose any and all self control and I pounce on him, knocking him to the floor. I land punches in his diaphragm, chest, and face.

He struggles to get me off of him, but I have a fistful of his shirt. Levi is prying me off of Killian, but I fight to get back to him. Levi has a firm hold on me. Alice is kneeling down next to a bleeding Killian. Alice turns to face Levi and says, "Bring her to her room. I'll take care of him," she points to Killian. Levi just nods and drags me out of the room.

He turns the door nob and pushes open my door. I sit on the bed, glaring at the floor, he sits on my dresser. He just stares at me for a few minutes before sighing. "You can't just do that. You can't attack some one for what they say. It will get you in a lot of trouble. Especially where we are going. It will get you killed." I say nothing, so he continues talking. "I admit Killian was extremely out of line and shouldn't have said that, and I'll talk to him." He's patronizing me, and I hate it. Izel used to talk down to me just to get on my nerves, but I love him anyway. He was my best friend besides Quinn.

I feel tears in my eyes and this time I don't stop them. I must startle Levi when I speak because he jumps slightly. "I don't want to be here. I just want to go home." I wipe the tears from my face.

Levi sighs, "I know. I felt that way too. It's my job to try to get you home and that's what I'm going to do. Why don't you stay in here and relax for now. We will be in the Capitol in about an hour." With that he gets up of the floor and leaves the room.

A fight and tears, what a great ay to start the day.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. Yhis was a fun chapter to write, I hope you liked it. Review! Another chapter will be up in the next week. Bye everyone!**_

_**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**_


	4. Pretty

I am sitting alone in a cold room, on an even colder metal table, waiting to meet my stylist. I spent the rest of my morning alone, ate lunch in my room here in the training center, and the was mauled by my prep team, who's job is to clean me up. After they were done, I felt, and still do feel violated. The only thing covering my body is a thin, white robe.

I've been sitting here for an hour, and I'm getting a little impatient. I slide off the table and move to the window. Staring at the candy colored buildings, I am disgusted. The Capitol has millions and millions of dollars, yet, their entertainment consists of children being slaughtered. It's sickening. Not only do they take pride in murder, but citizens of Panem are starving to death. My family may be well off, but everyday, as I walked back and forth to school, I see poor families. The majority of District 5 is passing by, but there are still some who go to bed hungry. I can only imagine what it's like in other districts.

I see men and women dressed in the ridiculous Capitol fashions. Bright pinks, purples, oranges, and dark blues, greens, and reds are made into everything from dresses to suits, to shirts to skirts. It's some what pain full to look at. All the different colors moving every which way gives me a head ache, but it's hypnotizing. I can't look away. Finally, after God knows how long, the automatic doors slide open, and a woman walks in. She has blond hair that goes down to her waist. there are the occasional blue streaks as well.

"You must be Alvera," she says in a thick accent. I just stare at her. She wears a black skirt with a bright blue shirt underneath a purple jacket, along with black shoes that hurt just to look at them. I don't say anything, just keep staring. She hangs up a bag that obviously hold my costume for tonight. It's customary that tributes wear a costume that represents their home district during the tribute parade. I just hope it's not too...revealing. There have been some tributes where they are nearly naked. I recall from last year, the District 12 tributes were dusted in coal dust, that's all.

After she turns back around and looks me in eyes, she continues on. "My name is Justice Summers, and I," she emphasizes the "I", "am your stylist." She glances at her ridiculously large watch. "Let's see...we have five hours to get you all ready. Shall we get started?" I don't even have time to respond before she has me standing in the center of the room in my underwear. She walks slowly in a circle around me, and I feel slightly self conscience. "Alright, let's get you dressed." She walks to the door and unzips the bag.

I don't se what's inside of it until she holds it out to me, and even the I don't get a good look at it. I pull on the electric blue fabric and look am pushed into a chair. I don't even get to look in the mirror just yet. She plastering my face with make-up, I sit still and allow her to cover my face with different colored pencil, powders, and markers for about an hour and a half. As she gets one last swipe around my eyes she whispers something I can't catch,, and when I ask her about it, she responds with a shake of her head. Another half hour passes and I'm beginning to become restless, I was never good with sitting still. I start fidgeting with my hands or bouncing my leg and that results in a quick, "Stop moving," from Justice.

When she finished with my make -up, she moves onto my hair. I'm not quite sure what she's doing, but it involves a dark violet colored goop and some sort of metallic foil. Once that's done, my hair is being pulled every which way, I try my hardest not to wince. She just continues yanking, separating, and smoothing down my hair. This lady is starting to get on my nerves. She keeps muttering nonsense and them denies that she said anything.

Sooner or later, she finishes, and I couldn't have been happier. I stand up and walk to the mirror that covers an entire wall. My dress falls to just above the knee, the color is perfect. There is a gold belt that sits just below my breasts. My make-up is neat, a gold lining around my eyes, my lips are a soft pink color. I am not just stunning, I am beautiful. I am electric. Justice shoves a pait of shoes at me, I slip into the with out a fight. They give me an added three inches or so. The top layer of my hair has been pulled back and put up, even with that I can see the dark red highlights that have been put in. I turn to face my stylist.

"I look...I look beautiful! Thank you! I love it!" She just shrugs off my compliment before saying, "It's my job dear. Now come on, we can't be late." I look at the digital clock that is built into the wall. It reads 7:39. The parade starts at eight O'clock sharp. I'm dreading seeing everyone again. As soon as I got into the training center I was ushered into this room, the last person I saw from our "team" was Levi on the train.

I feel bad about what I did to Killian, but he was asking for it. I guess it doesn't matter. In six days we will be fighting to the death. I just hope I don't have to be the one to kill him. Oh well. Justice opens the door and motions for me to follow. I give her a blank expression and she asks, obviously annoyed, "Are you coming or not?" I'm tempted to say no, just to see what happens. I would probably be dragged out by peacekeepers or something, and I don't feel like sitting still for another ten minutes while Justice attempts to fix whatever damage that would have been done to my dress, hair, and make-up, and I don't want to go through one more minute of that.

I nod and follow Justice out of the door. We walk down a long hallway into a living area. There I see Alice, Levi, Killian, and another person who must be his stylist. Her hair is platinum blond, almost a blinding white. She has it pulled back into a pony tail. He has on a dress that looks more like a shirt. Under that though she has on a pair of forest green tights and some ballet flats. "Hello, my name's Star," she offers me her hand to shake, but I reject it. "Um, hi. I'm Alvera."

We are ushered into the elevator when it arrives. We go to the bottom level, which houses a stable. Moving to our section, talks to no one in particular about all the other tributes costumes. At two minutes until show time, Killian and I are directed onto our Chariot. Every one else in our party go to find their seats, we will meet back up with them later, back in our room. I am tempted to apologize to Killian, but I din't know how. _I'm sorry fir punching and possibly breaking your nose?_ The thought makes me laugh to myself. Killian looks to me curiously, but I just shake my head.

Soon the doors open. I suddenly become nervous. The entirety of Panem will be watching me. I've never been good with people. It becomes our turn to leave quickly. I take in a deep breath of the summers warm air before I let the cheering crowds and city lights take me.

__**ATHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey guys. Thanks for reading though this chapter...if any of you did. Last chapter only got two views! TWO! And no reviews. Maybe I should just end it. I was going to go all the way through the rebellion, but if no one's reading it, it's pointless. I have other things that need to be done. You guys disappoint me. **_

_**Anyway if you ARE reading, thank you. You make it so it's not a complete waste. I admit this was a bad chapter, but I needed an update. But I will make you a deal. If I get 5 reviews, I will post the next chapter. And that will be a good one. Promise. **_

_**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**_


	5. Let's not make some friends

I stay in my room for as long as possible this morning. I didn't sleep last night. I was too busy dreading my final days. The next three days will be devoted to training, then will come our private assessment with the game makers, a day off, which ends with our interviews with Caeser Flickerman. On the seventh day, the Games start, oh joy.

I lie on the bed, atop the black comforter, staring blankly up at the ceiling. My mind races at a million miles an hour. What will happen? What kind of people will I be up against? Who in that room will be my killer? It has to be one of them, right? Unless I die from a mutt, or exposure, or hunger, or thirst. I groan. Why am I doing this to myself? Why do I keep thinking about the hell to come? It will only scare me more. Not that I would ever admit to it. But I did, to Izel. But that was different. He isn't going to be slaughtering me in a few days. He will only be watching. I spend a few more hours like this, until there is knocking at my door, and the voice of Licia Canistri telling me I need to be up and dressed in ten minutes, giving me barely any time to actually get up, shower, and get dressed.

Dragging myself out of bed and into the bathroom, only to be confused on how to work the stupid shower. Hundreds of buttons to work one, simple thing. I stare at the panel that holds all of the multicolored buttons, which have tiny lettering on them. I start pushing random ones, trying to get the stupid thing to turn on. _How hard can it be to work a freaking shower? Seriously?_ Finally the water starts and I get in, letting the warm water cascade down. I wash my hair and body with a sweet smelling gel, which leaves me smelling like flowers. _Ugh._ I like flowers, don't get me wrong, but how can I intimidate my opponents if I smell like daisies?

Just then I hear my brother's voice in my head, "_But you should act harmless"._ I want to listen to him so much, but what if I become a target? "What does it matter? I will be dead sooner or later." I say as I turn off the water and step onto the bathmat, which surprises me when it gives me the tiniest of shocks. My hair is dried immediately as well as being free of any tangles. At least I don't have to worry about that.

I grab the clothes that have been placed on my bed. It's an outfit very similar to my dress last night. A bright blue shirt with black fitted jeans. Next to my door I find a pair of black boots, which I pull on. On my way out the door I pull my hair up into a pony tail so it doesn't catch fire in training or something.

I join the rest of my "team" at the table in the dining room. Some one is asking me how I slept, and all I can do is make a noise that sounds like "hmm," and nod. I don't tell them I was up all night thinking about my looming death, which is slowly but surely approaching. It's not like they could do anything about it.

The talk this morning is focused on how we want to be trained, what questions we have, and if we have any skills. When some one has directed the conversation towards me, I don't notice until Killian kicks me under the table. I am brought into the present immediately and notice people are staring at me, waiting for me to respond to some question that I missed. "What? I'm sorry, I missed the question, " I blush slightly.

Alice just gives her usual smile and says, "I was just asking if you had any special talents?"

I have to think for a moment. What am I good at? "I can run," I reply, sounding unsure of myself. It sounded more like a question than a statement. Everyone just nods and continues on with the conversation. I am happy to be left alone again. I don't want to be talking to anyone, especially about myself. I don't tell people about myself, I'm not sure why, I just don't.

As Killian and I are getting ready to go down to the training room, Levi and Alice come over to say one last thing. "We want you two to try to make some friends. Or at least allies," Levi sounds highly professional, and completely unlike his normal self.

I start to complain, and tell them I don't want to have to worry about some one slitting my throat in the middle of the night, but as soon as I open my mouth to protest, Alice tells us that it's not an option and that will ask us about our fellow tributes over dinner.

Great, just great. I can already tell that the next three days are going to suck.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey everyone! I just want to say right now that this chapter goes out to ThapolloandPercabeth4ever. They left me some great reviews and motivated me to continue on with the story. So, here you go ThapolloandPercabeth4ever, I am continuing the story for you. I hope you enjoy it. **_

_**Haha. Now that that has been said I can continue. So I stared writing this chapter at two in the morning and then had to stop for a while. I then finished it earlier today. Sorry if it's bad, and sorry for the wait. I had a mild case of the dread Writer's Block and couldn't write anything for a couple days. Anyway, hope you liked it. Please review. For the alpacas? Please? They love them! Hahaha.**_

_**OH! And happy National Chocolate Cake Day! Here is a virtual piece of chocolate cake to celebrate!**_

_**REVIEW AND DFTBA**_

_**P.s. The alpacas say hello.**_


	6. Slip Away

The next morning, I am up, showered, dressed, and ready to go by quarter of eight. I walk to the floor length mirror again, taking in every last detail of my clothes and features. My red jeans are skin tight, and were basically impossible to put on. I have a white tank top that has an intricate design of a dragon fly on my left side, and completing my look are the black boots I had on yesterday. Looking over my shoulder at the clock before walking into the dining room.

I haven't seen anyone since yesterday morning. As soon as I got back from the first training session was over I got into an elevator, went to the fifth floor, and went to my room. There I thought about all my competitors. The girl from 1 has short brown hair with eyes matching in color, her name is something stupid like Silver, where as her district partner, Colt. He's tall, muscular, and absolutely gorgeous. All the other girls seem to notice as well. Even the youngest, the thirteen year old girl from District 4 named Aqua.

District Two is nothing special, just the basic career. The girls name is Joice and the boy is Lark. Both have the murderous look in their eyes that's typical for tributes from 1, 2, and 4. The District Three tributes are named Isabel and Grant, the two of them are family, cousins, or something. Then there's Aqua and Sam from4, Killian and I from 5, Mikia and a black haired boy whose name I'm not quite sure of from 6, Nikkie and Trace from 7, Ivory and Ryu are from District 8, and Serenity and Connor are from 9. I talked to them a little bit yesterday, I think that I could become really good friends if we weren't in this situation right now, but even so, I am going to request an ally ship.

I didn't get the chance to talk to any other tributes except the girl from 10, Paisley, we couldn't find common ground though. In fact, I was happy to get away from her after spending ten minutes a the station about fire starting.

I didn't eat dinner last night, and I'm not hungry now. I know I should eat something, but I just can't. I join the others at the table now, and no one asks me anything. The only one one our group who pays me any attention is Alice, she raises an eyebrow at me, but I ignore her. A half hour passes and breakfast is winding down, but I still haven't touched my food. When plates are being cleared Levi says, "Alvera, you haven't eaten anything! Why? Are you sick?"

I just shake my head no. "You have to eat something. You will get sick if you don't. What you are going to be doing today will take a lot of energy." I don't need him to worry about me. It will just remind me of how much I miss Izel, and that will just make my life seem even more like hell. "I'm fine," I mutter, pushing back from the table. "I'll be fine."

"No, you won't. You'll pass out. Now eat something," he responds quickly gesturing to my plate. "No!" I respond, standing up. "You're not my parent, you don't control me, you don't get a say! I'm not hungry!"

At this point he's clearly agitated, but he doesn't yell. All he does is say, "You know what? Fine. Don't eat. I'm not going to argue this with you, but when you are dizzy and light headed, don't complain to me." With this I stride over to the elevator, push the down button, and head to training by myself.

_ THERE'S MORE!_

We have been in training for about two hours now, and I am watching everyone closely. Killian has been following me around, and I have been with Serenity and Connor. I suggested the ally ship and they said they will get back to me after lunch. I feel bad about this morning. I should have eaten something, I'm just too stubborn to give into anything. I keep an eye on one station in particular, not only because it interests me, but because I think I will be good at it.

Knife throwing.

I make a promise to myself that, after lunch, I will head over there. I have been at the edible plant station for about five minutes before some one shows up behind me. I tern around and I'm face to face with Colt. Well it's more like face to shoulder, but you get the point. "Um, hi?" I give him a look that means "What the hell are you doing here?"

He gives me a half smile, and I can feel my inside beginning to melt. _No! Stop that! You can't fall for him! He might rip your heart out! Literally!_

"Hey, I'm Colt. And you are..?" He looks at me expectantly, I know what he's doing. He's trying to get close to me so he can kill me easily in the Games. I won't let him do that. But I have a plan too. One he won't see coming."

"I'm Alvera. But you can call me Vera," I respond quietly as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Well Vera, " he says. "Would you like to sit with me at lunch?" And just as I accept his offer, the bell rings, signaling our break.

Colt and I make our way to a table and get our food from the buffet that has been set up on carts around the room. We talk casually for a while, getting to know each other while I push my food around on my plate. I am still not hungry, and I can't bring myself to eat. Soon enough though the doors open back up to the training room. Colt helps me up, which I am thankful for. I am starting to feel the effects of not eating anything for twenty-four hours. My legs start to feel week, and I am starting to get a head ache. I ignore the feeling and say thankful to Colt. As I make my way back into the gym, I try to focus on getting to the knife throwing station, specifically my walking.

_One, two. _Keep walking. _One, two. _Breath in. Out. _One, two. _Keep walking. _One, two._

I make my way to the station and greet my instructor with enthusiasm, which takes all my might to do. He runs over the basic rules about the station then proceeds to show me how to throw the knife.

I walk to a table that is home to knives of all different shapes and sizes. I pick a set of three and mimic what my instructor said. Two land in the wall, one lands in the top right hand corner of the target. As I go to retrieve the knives I begin to feel light headed and dizzy. I am walking back to my place and I rip over my own feet. I land on the floor with a hard thud. I don't get up immediately, and that must worry my instructor because he asks if I'm alright.

I say yes, go back to my spot and throw seven more hands. As I go to retrieve my eighth a heavy wave of nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, and black spots interrupt my vision. I make it back to my instructor and am about to say I need to go sit down for a minute, but suddenly, the world is spinning fast, I feel empty and light, I can't think, and the spots come back.

Before I can comprehend the situation, I am back on the floor, watching blood, my blood, drip down onto my shirt, staining parts of it red. Some one is yelling to call the medics and saying my name over and over. A blurry figure leans over me, slides one arm under the back of my knees, and one under my back. I feel being lifted off floor, but then everything fades to black.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey everyone. This is going to be a quick note because I am sick, tired, and had to rewrite the ENTIRE chapter after my brother turned off our computer before I could save it.**_

_**Tribute lists**_

_**District 1: Silver and Colt**_

_**District 2: Joice and Lark**_

_**District 3: Isabel and Grant**_

_**District 4: Aqua and Sam**_

_**District 5: Alvera and Killian**_

_**District 6: Mikia and an unspecified boy tribute**_

_**District 7: Nikky and Trace**_

_**District 8: Ivory and Ryu**_

_**District 9: Serenity and Connor**_

_**District 10: Paisley and an unspecified boy tribute**_

_**District 11: Unspecified girl and boy tributes**_

_**District 12: Unspecified girl and boy tributes**_

_**I promise you will be introduced to all the unspecified tributes, just not now. Also, some of these names have cool meanings, like Ryu (District 8 boy tribute) means dragon. **_

_**I'm not sure when another chapter will be up. I have been sick, so that makes things harder.**_

_**Like I said, I'm tired and sick, so reviews would be nice! Sorry if it sucks, I have been up since 4:3O am and while I am writing this, it's 11:53. So goodnight everyone. See ya soon.**_

_**DFTBA**_

_**P.s. REVIEW!**_


	7. This Could Mean Death

_"Hey, Vera, wake up." I hear my younger brother, Xander say. "Come on, get up! You have the morning shift! Come on!"_

_I roll over and look at him. Rubbing my eyes and stretching I say, "What time is it, Xander?"_

_"Eight! You're going to be late! Mom and Dad left two hours ago to open!" He's panicking. He is used to having everything on a schedule. We don't know why, he just likes to be exact. Xander has been this way for as long as we can remember. "Xander, chill out. I have to walk up a flight of stairs, I'll be fine."_

_The building that occupies the shop has four floors, including the basement. There's the basement, which is where I sleep, street level, which is where the book shop is, then there are the third and fourth floor, which consist of a kitchen, living area, two bathrooms, my parent's bedroom, Izel 's room, Xander's room, and an office, for my dad to keep track of business stuff. _

_Xander just gives me an aggravated sigh before calling up the stair well. "Izel," he yells. "Vera's not getting up!" I glare at him. He shouldn't be yelling in the house during business hours, and he knows it. When he looks back at me he shrinks into the corner a little. He realizes his mistake, and he knows his big brother is going to call him on it too. And Izel can be scary to some one is isn't quite five feet tall yet. _

_"Xander, dude, you know you aren't supposed to yell in the house! Especially when we have customers! Mom and Dad are going to be pissed if you do it again!" Says Izel, walking into my room. I can just barely hear my younger sibling say sorry, but Izel chooses to just leave him be. "It's okay. So what's wrong? Why did you call me down into the lair of the demon?" He looks at me jokingly, I stick my tongue out in response, he just laughs._

_"Alvera's going to be late for hr shift! She needs to get up now." Xander points at me, but he doesn't look distressed anymore, he looks happy. That's what doesn't make sense, if this were any other day, he would be in tears, he hates things that aren't on schedule. But, we are all so happy, I just let it go. _

_But that's what makes me nervous. It's the fact that we are all happy. Izel would be a little more angry that Xander yelled in the house, Xander would care more that I'm still not out of bed, and I would just try to get them out of my room. This can't be real though, it makes no sense. I start repeating that phrase over and over and over. "It makes no sense," I tell Izel from my place under my covers. He just looks at me funny. _

_"It makes no sense," I say frantically to Xander. And I say it a third and fourth time to my parents who just happen to have appeared. They are all moving closer to me. Slowly turning from the people I know and love, into creatures from an unknown world. With glowing red eyes, and dark blue skin, arms reaching out to me. There fingers turn into razor sharp talons so sharp, that is you are to even look at them, they'll cut you. _

_And I just keep at my mantra. It makes no sense. It makes no sense. It makes no sense. It makes no sense! Xander's small, demonic form has gotten close enough to have cut my hand. I cry out in pain. The next one to hurt me is my dad, again I cry out because the agony is too much to handle. Then comes the form that took the form of my mother. Her long claws tear through my skin as is it wee nothing more than air. She strikes once, twice, three times. I don't understand._

_E just went from a happy, smiling family, to terrorizing group of mutants that strive to cause me pain. The next one to attack is Izel. The one I love the most. He drags the black, knife like appendage down my arm from the crook of my elbow to the palm of my hand. This is the one that hurts the most. I never thought the person I look up to could hurt me so bad. Never would it have crossed my mind that my own family would try to cut me up into ribbons. Never._

_Somewhere, far off, there is screaming. And then, I am vaguely aware of a slight pinch in my right arm, and voices._

"It could be days." _ One voice says, also distantly, like the screaming._

"Well, we don't have days! If anything, we have a couple hours, at best! So my suggestion is to wake her up as fast as you can!" _Wake who up. Surely, the voices can't mean me. I am awake. But who else would the voices mean? It makes no sense, I repeat to myself, yet again. But that's just when I start piecing everything together. Xander, Izel, my parents. Home. All of us being happy. It makes no sense._

"You can wake up now!" _A different voice comes more harshly. I can wake up now. I can...wake up now? _

_Wake up! I'm dreaming. Wake up, I tell myself. Just wake up._

_Suddenly, everything stops and begins to fade away. I feel more calm, tranquil. I feel no need for waking anymore, so I don't._

…

What feels like years later is probably more like hours. I am stuck between worlds of consciousness and dreaming. I feel trapped. But, I also feel that, somehow, I am escaping. I am becoming free.

Everything in this world is still, and only occupied by me. Nothing else. No one to keep me company other than my own thoughts. And as relaxing as it is, I don't want to stay here. I need to leave. I need to get my eyes open.

I try and try and try, but the glue that seals them doesn't come undone. For a minute, I become frightened. What if I don't wake up? What if I become stuck in this comatose state forever? No panicking, I tell myself. Just focused on opening your eyes.. Focus. Focus. Focus. And sure enough, I am greeted by a dark room full of medical supplies.

I am alone here as well. Or, that's what I thought. Something in the chair beside me shifts, causing me to jump. With that jump comes pain. It flows through the palm of my left hand, and travels up my arm. Gripping every nerve ending in it's path. I cry out, and the figure snaps awake. At first the person is confused but then they start to gain a sense of what's going on.

"Alvera, are you awake?" It's Levi. The one person I don't want to face. He is probably going to be all "I told you so".

"Yeah," I say roughly. My throat burns like fire when I speak.

"Oh, thank God," he mutters, but I can still hear him. He becomes more serious in that instant. "What did I tell you? Hmm? I told you that you had to eat! That you were doing to much to not have anything in your system! But you chose to ignore me! Look how that turned out! You were unconscious for two days!"

I am about to tell him to stop yelling at me, but the realization sinks in. I was out for two days. Two days. But that mean…

"Two days!? But-but that...that means-" He cuts me off.

"Yeah! I know! I don't know how this is going to work!" We stay silent after that.

I was out for two days. That means that the Games start tomorrow. And I'm screwed.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey everyone! I feel good about this chapter, I hope that you feel that way too! It took a while to write this chapter. **_

_**Anyway, how about that ending? How's that feel? Hahaha. You guys are just going to have to wait for the next chapter, sorry! If you review, an update might dome quicker!**_

_**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**_


	8. It's Out Of My Hands Now

A few hours pass and just as the sun is rising, tinting the sky a light pink, I am released from the hospital.

I am brought down to the training room and am left standing in front the panel of Game Makers. This is my privet, scored session. After this is over, I will be rushed into a prep room with my stylist, who will help me get ready for the pre-Games interview, which will be broadcasted across Panem.

I can only imagine how terrified I will be. I don't want to know the questions that will be asked. My black out would have been all over the news. A tribute passing out and having to have medical attention? Surely they will want to hear all about it. I can already hear Caesar's voice in my head, floating through my mind. "Alvera, we heard you had a mishap during training, do you want to tell us about it?" And I won't be able to refuse. I cannot say no. Who knows what will happen to my chance of getting sponsors if I deny the public knowledge of my accident?

That would be keeping a secret. And if I start keeping secrets now, how will people be able to tell that I'm not hiding things when I'm in the arena? How trustworthy will my allies find me?

_I think that opportunity is gone. Flew out the window as soon as I fell to the floor a few days ago._ _And if I don't have allies, how will I survive? _

I've seen the kids I'm going up against. I have no chance in beating them! Izel was right; the majority of these kids are bigger and stronger than I am. They would easily be able to take me down if it came to it. I would be dead in minutes.

Maybe he was right about hiding out for the majority of the Games. Maybe being squirreled away in a tree somewhere might be my best option. Just waiting for death's fingers to take away everyone else.

I stare at the people in their red and black uniforms that stand on a loft, looking back at me expectantly, waiting for me to do something.

_Dammit,_ I whisper harshly to myself. I have no idea what I'm going to present to them as my skill. I only had a day and a half of training.

Could I go back to the knives? I look down at my bandaged hand. That's where the blood came from when I fell. The knife slipped through my hand, causing the skin on my palm to split open. It took twenty stitches to close the wound.

I could try it. Throw a few hands, and then do some sprints? I won't score too high, but oh well; it will just have to do.

I walk to the targets with my head down. My jet black hair falls into my face. Turning on my heel to face the Game Makers I say, "Alvera Arca, District Five female tribute," and pick up the silver, weighted knives to my left.

I breath in, aim, breath out, bring my arm back, breath in, and at the same time I throw and breath out once more. Because I was never good too good at this particular activity, having one of my knives hit the exact center of the target sends me into a state of stupefaction **(A/N I was looking at my dictionary app on my nook and the word of the day was stupefaction. It means astonishment). **I have to get over my amazement quickly, though.

The clock is ticking. Minutes go by like seconds, and what used to be twenty minutes until this session is over is now only ten. I don't want to rush my throwing, but I want to have some time left after this to do some sprints.

I want to show them I can run. And where I'm going to be, that skill will be helpful. That very well might be my only useful asset.

I finish my hand and walk to the edge of the room. Bouncing on my toes a little bit to get myself to wake up just a little but more. Whatever those lab-coat monkeys they call doctors gave me via IV when I woke up is still making me drowsy.

I count to three under my breath. "One," I put one foot forward, "two," my hands meet the floor on either side on my knee, "three." And with that I'm off running as fast as I possibly can towards the wall opposite of me that rushes toward me.

Two feet away from collision, I skid to a stop. I can make an estimate that it took me about thirty seconds to reach this end of the room.

I stand still only for a few seconds, and then I get in my starting position again. "One." _Get my feet into position.___"Two." _My hands meet the floor yet again._ "Three." I take off running again. Hair streaming behind me, my breaths coming in ragged gasps.

I meet the other wall again. I put my one good hand out in front of me, leaning on the wall for support. Running was _not_ a good idea just yet. The room tilts and I can't seem to catch my breath.

None of the Game Makers look impressed, and that makes me feel a little uneasy. But now I have nothing left to do but stand here and wait for my dismissal.

After a couple minutes of me staring at them scribbling something down on paper, Seneca Crane, Head Game Maker of eight years looks me right in the eye and says, "You may go now Miss Arca." And with that I nod and leave the room.

I will have to wait for my interview tonight to know where I stand amongst my fellow combatants.

__**AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hey guys! It's been a while since I have updated, I'm sorry. I was roller blading and feel back onto my wrist and hurt it pretty badly. It's better now, thankfully. **_

_**This chapter's a little short, not by too much, but I'm happy with it. Are you? I really want to know. If you guys want to tell me ANYTHING about what you think, I would be glad to hear from you! So review!**_

_**And since I have had a while, I've already written out the next chapter, I just have to type it up. So I will do that right now and post it! **_

_**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**_


	9. Break Down

_**(A/N: Okay, I just want to give you a heads up, right here. This chapter has a little swearing, nothing too bad. More than previous chapters. If you don't like it, I'm sorry. It's just how it is.)**_

I am finished with my privet session just in time for lunch with my team. I dread sitting at the table with Alice, Levi, Licia, and Killian. I don't want to be subject to their watchful stares.

Every time I hear the small, bird like _ding_ that signifies the passing of each floor, my heart seems to beat a little faster, and my nails seem to dig farther into the flesh of my clenched fists.

I count the fifth ding and brace myself for my team. As the doors open and I step out of the fast moving box, I notice Killian sitting on the unnatural colored, leather couch, glaring at the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's _your_ problem," I say, sitting down on the other end, tucking my feet up under me.

"Why would you care? It's not like you can help with anything. You can't even eat anything," he retorts.

My face reddens with anger. "Are you calling me helpless," I hiss at him.

"No," he says simply, as if he were stating a fact. "I'm calling you hopeless. There's a difference. And I thought _you_ were the smart one, based on how much you read." He says the last part quietly, but loud enough for me to hear.

"You did not just say that!"

He just laughs a bit. "Oh, but I did. And I meant it. You can't tell one thing from another, and you're what? Seventeen?"

He's pushing it. I'm about to start beating on him again. I don't care if I just got out of the hospital. I will still do it.

"Shut the hell up, Killian! You're being an ass," I say to him, trying to keep my cool. _I can kill him tomorrow._

My eyes instantly widen, a gasp escapes my lips, and my non-injured hand comes up and covers my mouth.

_Did I really just think that? Did I really just tell myself that I would kill my own district partner? Nothing justifies that. Not even if he was getting on my nerves._

I didn't mean it, I could _never_ kill _anyone_. No matter how bad they pissed me off. Never in a million years would I even consider it. But I know that the time will come in the coming weeks. I will have to be the one to take another innocent person's life.

_Calm down_,I tell myself. The looming Games are getting to me. I would never act or talk like this at home. My family would be on me so fast, I wouldn't know what hit me.

I am brought out of my unorganized thoughts by Alice's voice. "Lunch," she calls out to everyone on the floor. I get up from my place and make my way to the long, wooden table, with a deep feeling of dread at home in the pit of my stomach.

I am the first person to sit down at the table, but am soon joined by Levi, who sits directly across from me. I have a feeling that this is going to be a tense lunch, if not between Killian and I, than with me and Levi.

Slowly, everybody else files into the lavender painted dining room and joins us at their places around the table.

Killian sits next to me. Licia is at her place next to him, and Alice sits next to Levi.

At first nobody talks, and it's an uncomfortable silence that fills the air. I notice that Levi is watching me. He's making sure I eat, and I am. He just won't leave me be.

"Stop it," I say just loud enough for him to hear me. The two other women at the table have started up their own conversation. Everything that is said between the two of us goes unnoticed by them rest of our team.

He responds calmly. "I'm making sure you eat."

"I am," I roll my eyes at him.

"Now, while I'm watching you are. How do I know that you will if I look away?"

"Stop watching me, Levi," I say a little louder, through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."

"Clearly, you're not and you need supervision." He says a matter-of-factly. Everybody's getting on my nerves today. Killian was being an idiot as usual, Levi won't leave me the hell alone, and Licia is droning on and on about some stupid lady in the Capitol that wore the same dress as her today.

"I'm seventeen, I don't need supervision. Especially not from you! You just hover over me! Give me some space, God damn it!" I yell at him, push my chair back, and stand up. All other conversation at the table stops, and everyone stares at me.

"It's my job to look after you, okay? And the last time I gave you some space, you ended up in the fucking hospital! So what do you think I'm going to do?! You're going to get yourself killed, so suck it up and move on with it! The fact of the matter is, I can't trust you to look after yourself right now!" Levi is standing up as well, yelling as loud as he can at me.

I have never seen him this mad before. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that could hurt a fly. But I know that's not true. He's a victor. That means that he would have had to have killed _at least_ one person. But who knows, he could have more. I don't know how many, I don't remember his games. I was too young.

I decide to leave the situation before it gets too out of hand. I grab my plate and silver wear and stalk out of the room, down the hallway, and into my own room. I slam the door behind me. I have tears of frustration running down my cheeks. I set the plate down a little hard on an end table next to my bed, and viciously wipe away the tears.

I yell out of pure agitation. It's been a while I've had this kind of break down. It's out of pure stress. I take my lunch, dump it into a trash barrel in my bathroom and throw it at the wall. The room begins to spin a little, and the tiny black spots come back into my eyes. I sink down to my knees, then slowly I go all the way to the floor.

My crying has turned into full out sobbing. I don't want to be here. I want to be at home, in the shop, with Izel, Xander, and my parents. I don't want to belong to the Capitol. It's not fair.

After an hour or so, there's a knock on my door. I don't want to talk to anyone, but at the same time, I don't want to be alone. I need someone to be here with me. To help me through this.

I don't answer the knock, but the person doesn't give me an option if I want to talk to them or not. They open my door and walk over to me. Picking my up off the floor with the shards of the broken plate.

"Alvera, I'm sorry. I was out of line at lunch. I should have backed off a bit. I'm sorry. I just…" Levi hesitates. "I just worry. I've seen so many tributes come in here and die. I've seen them get ripped apart, or brutally murdered while I just sit in a control room and _watch_."

I just nod. I sit on the bed, and he sits next to me and continues talking. "I have faith in you though. You have a certain trait that no one else had. You have a certain determination. You won't let people bring you down. You fight back."

That's something that Izel would have said to me. I start crying all over again. And nothing else is said between us. He just wraps his arms around me, and lets me cry. Nothing awkward about it. He does so in a friendly manner. We sit there for a while, until I have calmed down, then he says, "Now, how about you go get ready for your interview?" And with that I get up and go to my designated prep room and wait for my stylist to join me.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**So that's that. I hope you like it! Review! I want at least three reviews before the next chapter! I love them! I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you liked reading it! Bye guys!**_

_**Oh, yeah, sorry about the swearing!**_

_**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**_


	10. Talking About Life

I sit on the same cold metal table I did on my first day here. My legs are dangling over the edge and I kick my legs back and forth. My prep team did the same routine they did on the night of the chariot ride. They rid me of all body hair, rub some pale green goop on my skin and peeled it off an hour later, cut and file my nails, and wash, dry, and brush out my hair.

Now, I'm left alone in the empty, tiled room. I like the quiet though. It lets me recover and regroup after my breakdown from earlier. The silence is blissful, and slowly, I calm down completely. I have come to accept my certain death and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Except to fight.

What Levi said to me got me thinking. If he believes that I have the fight in me, than why not use it? Why should I let that skill go to waste? Of course, I would only take a human life when necessary, if then. I have also taken the possibility that I might die by an ambush or of natural causes, such as exposure or dehydration accounted for. And I'm strangely okay with that.

The sound of the metallic, automatic, sliding door opens brings me to notice that Justice Summers, my stylist, has come to join me. She carries various dark colored bags and tows a small, wheeled, plastic case behind her.

"Hello Alvera," she says tiredly. "Let's get this over with, shall we? Hmm?" Her accent is so thick; it's hard to understand her.

"Sure," I respond, hopping off the table and walking to the center of the room. She hangs a black canvas bag on a hook, unzips it, and positions the material so that it hangs out of the bag. She picks up her bright pink case and puts it on another table that is longer than the one I occupied not five minutes ago. She opens it and takes out countless containers, tubes, and pencils.

"So what am I going to be wearing tonight," I ask without any real interest, I just wanted to break the silence. In return she just points to the yellow mass of fabric that is hanging on the wall. And since I don't care too much about it, I don't bother going to look.

"So do you have a plan for tonight," she asks me while pushing me to sit down in a chair I hadn't realized was there.

"A plan?" I don't know how to respond. I haven't even considered what I was going for tonight. What's my angle? How will I respond to Caesar's questions?

"Yeah, a plan. You know, a—," I cut her off before she can say another word.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just not sure what I want people to perceive me as. I can be witty, or fierce, or funny, or sexy, or weak, or so much more. But none of those fit me. "I will probably just be myself. I don't know how to be anything else," I tell her as she draws thick lines around my blue eyes.

"I see," she says absentmindedly. She has already gone into what I call her "zone". It's when she becomes so absorbed in her work that she doesn't really acknowledge me or anything else for that matter, other than her work. Which, I guess is a good thing that she is so involved and self-aware. I wouldn't want a bad stylist…

Hours pass, and my face has been smothered in make-up. She pulls away after one more swipe to my lips with a light pink colored gloss. "There. We are done with that, now how about we get you dress." She glances at the clock before adding, "Oh! We're running a bit behind!"

She scurries over to the dress and brings it back to me. "Put this on," she says before shoving it at me. She turns back to the case and pulls out hair brushes and hair elastics and other things that I didn't know the name of.

I unzip the back and step into the dress and wait for Justice to zip up the back. I refrain from looking in the mirror just yet, so I sit back down, waiting for her to start working on my hair. She pulls it up quickly, but carefully into a bun, leaving strand near my face down. Next she turns me away from the mirror to face her so that she can see what she is doing.

I'm not exactly sure what that is though; I just know that I can feel the heat radiating off of the object she is holding so very close to face. After about a half hour of doing this, she sprays something on my hair and has me stand up.

"There," she says, looking relieved. "You're all done."

I look at myself in the mirror. And just like the night of the chariot rides, I am stunned with how gorgeous I look. My dress is yellow, with a one shouldered gathered top, and a skirt that flows away from my body. On my left side there is bead work that looks almost like the sun with its bright rays, and more beads on the shoulder strap. My hair is done up in a bun and my normally straight hair is in curls that line my face. It looks casual yet elegant.

"I love it! You make me look so pretty! I bet the people back home won't even recognize me." I say the last part quietly. Home is still a bittersweet topic. I miss it still, but I know that I shouldn't because I know that I will never be returning.

"Oh, thank you, darling, but it's my job to make you look good. But I'm glad you like it. Now put these on, and we will be ready to go!"

She hands me a pair of shoes to slip on. They are strappy, black, suede heels that don't look particular comfortable. But, even so, I put them on without a fight.

"Alright, let's go," I say, standing straight up.

And together we make our way down to the meeting place for all tribute before the interview. And this is where the panic sets in. What if I mess up? Or say something wrong? What if they don't like me and I get no sponsors?

I must pale in the face because Alice looks at me with concern. "Alvera, what's wrong? Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" She is already starting to flag down one of the people in a red shirt that have been catering to our every need this past week.

"No, I'm fine. Just a bit nervous is all," I say with a slight shake of my head. I put a hand to my face and slide down the wall I was just leaning against so that I am sitting on the floor. I sit with my feet turned so that they are brought back to my waist, not wanting anyone to see my underwear.

She asks everyone if she could have a moment aloe with me, and everyone give us our space. She squats down so she is eye level with me. "Alvera, will you look at me?" I comply with her request. "Good. There's nothing to be nervous about, I promise. The questions will be all about you. You will most likely be asked about your family, your life before the Games, and what your strategy will be. It will be okay, I swear. Now how about we line up?"

She offers me her hand to help me up off the floor. "Thanks," I mutter, still looking down at the floor. We line up and soon all the mentors, stylists, and Capitol reporters are ushered out from back stage. After everyone but the stage manager and all the tributes are the only ones left, the girl from District one goes out for her interview. They all last for three minutes.

Soon, she's back and heads over to the elevators to go back up to her floor then goes her district partner. Then goes the pairs from Two and Three. And when it's my turn to be questioned, I take a deep breath and head into the blinding lights.

"Next, the girl tribute from District Five! Everyone please welcome Miss Alvera Arca!" Caesar Flickerman's voice booms throughout the square, and I walk to my place, waving at the roaring crowd.

"Settle down. Settle down, everyone," he says after a couple minutes. "So, Alvera, how are you this fine night?"

My time has official started. _Stay calm,_ I tell myself. "I'm well, Caesar, how about yourself?"

"I'm great, thank you for asking. So, you're from District Five, what's that like," he asks me. I'm not sure how to answer that. How do I feel about my home? The one I will never return to?

"Well, it's home, Sir. I'm not really sure what else to say." I give a little laugh at the end of my response, and he seems to accept my answer.

"I see. Well I'm sure everyone here is wondering something." _Oh, no. Here it comes. He's going to ask about my accident._ "Why don't you tell us about what happened in training?"

I collect myself and look at the clock before answering. Two minutes left. "Well, on the second day of training, I was really nervous. I was in a place I have never been in before, surrounded by a whole bunch of strangers. And I guess I was too nervous to eat or drink anything. So after lunch that day, I was going to a new station—,"

He cuts in, but only to say, "Knife throwing, if I recall correctly, right?"

"Yes, knife throwing. But I was walking back from the target when I passed out. And a knife slipped through my hand and cut me in the process." I hold up my hand to show the audience the bandage that was still wrapped around my hand. "And that's about it. I mean, I was in the hospital until this morning…" I trail off, not knowing where to go from that.

"Ah, yes. Then you had your private training session. Speaking of which, I have your score right here, if you are wondering what you got."

I sit up a little bit straighter, and I catch a glimpse of myself on a screen that was set up towards the side of the stage. Excitement is clear on my face. "Yes, I would _love_ to know where I rank," I tell him.

He gives me a little laugh. "Alright, are you read?" I nod in response. "Okay, you scored a…a seven! Congratulations!" And then the timer sounds with perfect timing. "Well, it looks like we are out of time! Can we get one last round of applause for, Alvera?" I stand up, shake Caesar's hand, and walk off the stage, smiling and waving at the audience the entire way off.

I now make my way up to my room. I take off my dress, the necklace, shoes, and undo my hair. I shower, removing all the Capitol made products from my body, and get changed into a set of pajamas. I lie down on the bed and begin thinking yet again,

_What will the arena be like? What kind of environment will I be forced into? _ But one question is my top priority at the moment.

I find myself wondering, _how will I die, _before I settle into a fitful sleep.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

_**Hello everybody! This was a long chapter, about two thousand words. Did you like it? I wanna know so I can improve with the future chapters! I'm not too crazy about it, but I am loving the dress. I posted links to the pictures on my profile; they will be at the bottom! Go check 'em out! **_

_**Also, I have a basic idea for the arena, what do you guys want to see in it? Again, I wanna know so review!**_

_**I will see you guys later.**_

_**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**_


	11. Let The Games Begin

I wake up at about two in the morning and I count the hours I have slept, and the amount of hours that I have left to live. I finally fell asleep at about midnight. Two hours of sleep is surely not enough to run on in the arena. If anything, I should have an entire days' worth of rest, but I'm not entirely sure that would be enough. But two hours is definitely not enough.

The Games start exactly at noon, giving me ten hours and fifteen minutes before I become a moving target. And just like everyone else, I'm going to have to fight to stay alive. One question plagues my mind. How many will die by my hand?

_No_, I hiss at myself. I can't be worrying about that. There are too many other things that are more important. I should be concerned with the environment I will be facing, or the people who are out to kill me, but not how many I will personally be responsible for killing.

I sigh and put my feet to the floor. It's useless to try and sleep anymore. I know I will not be able to keep my eyes closed and mind at bay. I start pacing my room, just as I did after my name was called. I soon grow too anxious to just occupy this one room. I leave ,y dark dungeon behind me and walk out into the large living area down the hall. I try to move quietly so everyone else can sleep, opening and closing doors cautiously, and walking on my toes past closed doors with sleeping people behind them.

When I reach the empty room that I set out to find, I go to stand by one of the many floor to ceiling windows. The lights that shine through the glass and spill out onto the floor are bright. They hurt my eyes to look at, which had been previously adjusted to the darkness, so I have to look away for a moment. When I turn my head back, I look down at the candy colored cobble stone streets five stories below me.

People still occupy street corners and parks and they shout loudly at each other just to be heard over the even louder music that rings out across the night. I can't believe they are actually _celebrating_ the slaughter of children. If they want to make us murder each other, fine, I can't fight them so I might as well go with it. But partying over our deaths?! But what point is it too much with these people?!

I want to hurt them. All of them. For breaking apart 1679 families. A grand total of 1679 tributes have been through this processed slaughter. That's 1679 families who have lost a child, sibling, cousin, aunt, or uncle. 1679 families that have been torn apart and will forever be in mourning, and it's all because of these monsters! They think of this as one big party! It's despicable!

I go to the couch, grab a pillow, bring it up to my face so it covers my mouth, and scream for as long as my lungs will let me. These people are sick bastards who don't deserve to breathe the air on this planet!

"Calm down, Vera." I hear a voice say behind me. I turn my head swiftly; making my hair hit me in the face. Alice is standing behind the couch, looking at me with concern. I didn't hear her come in. When I don't say anything, she continues on. "What's wrong? Why are you up?"

"I couldn't sleep, and I couldn't just lie there, so I got up," I say, trying to keep calm and hope she doesn't ask why I was screaming into a pillow just a few seconds ago. She comes around and sits next to me on the leather piece of furniture. "Why are you so angry?"

"I…They think that this is a party!" I whisper sharply. "It's horrible! They are _celebrating_ the deaths of children!" I gesture to the window with an open arm. Alice doesn't say anything for a couple minutes. I am left to sit there on the couch and breathe in and out angrily. "Why don't you try to go back to sleep alright? You need your sleep." And with that, she leaves to go back to her own room.

I realize she is right. Now that I have gotten up and moved around a little bit I might be able to go back to sleep. But I am already up now and I will just have to get back up in a few hours anyway. I take a few breaths to calm myself down yet again.

_This has to stop,_ I tell myself. It's getting out of hand. I can't keep freaking out and yelling like a little child. It won't do me any good.

I sit down on the couch and lean against the back, not supporting myself. Grabbing the small, metallic, rectangular remote, I turn on the TV. The rest of the room glows a dull blue. It's stuck on a capitol news channel. And by news, I mean "news". Tonight they will focus on all of the tributes. Talking about their interviews, training score, and whatever they can get about their family life back home. I got there just as mine was ending.

"And now you've met Alvera, so we will move onto Killian Frazier," a capitol host announces while a picture of him fills up they screen as one of mine fades away. His dark brown hair is messy and his eyes look like caramel. A smile is painted on his tanned face. Behind him is the blue sky, no clouds in sight, the sun gleams down on him, making it look like he is glowing.

This photo must have been taken last summer, when we were both sixteen years of age. I recognize the backdrop as the District 5 square. It was most likely taken after last year's reaping, the way he is dressed supports my theory.

"Killian was born on a bright day on July 23 to his parents Giles and Tess Frazier. He has no siblings, but has two older cousins that live with him."

The information just keeps coming. I can't tell what's real and what's not. They obviously will change things to make them suitable for presenting to the public of Panem. I eventually close my eyes because I can't keep them open.

I wake to somebody standing over me, shaking my arm slightly several hours later. "Go away," I mutter, coving my eyes with my forearm, and roll over. I land on the hard wooden floor with a loud _thud_. "Ow," I hiss. The person who was just standing next to me has moved back a few feet, and they are laughing.

"Killian do you have to be such an ass?" I say, picking myself up off the floor.

"Nope, it's in my genes. Sorry. It's time to get up. We have to leave in about," he pauses to look at the clock. "Fifteen minutes."

"Shit!" I yell and scramble to my feet. I run down the hall and take a five minute shower and pull on the pants and shirt that has been set out for me to wear until we get to the catacombs under the arena, where the tributes have their own rooms for final prepping like putting on the specially designed uniform for this year's Games.

As soon as I have come out of my room, we are all getting ready to head up to the room to board the hover craft that will bring us to the dome that will act as our prison for the rest of our lives.

Only one of us will ever see the outside again. And I doubt that it will be me.

On the roof top, five minutes later, we are all saying our last goodbyes. It's somber moment, but it only last for a minute or so.

All twenty-four of us are rounded up and told to take our seats on the hovercraft. I leave my group and look back at them just as I get to the latter. Licia has tears streaming down her face, Alice too looks upset, but Levi just stands there, reminding me of Izel.

I take my seat next to Killian and two capitol women make their way around to each and every one of us, placing a tracker in our arms. When my turn comes, I hold out my arm to the lady with bright green hair. I flinch when she injects the tracker into my flesh, but the pain reseeds quickly.

None of us speak on the ride, or at least what I could tell. I went back to sleep, trying to get as much rest as possible. "Vera, come on get up. They said we will be landing soon." Killian whispers to me. And he's right. In twenty minutes we have landed, been separated, and brought to our respective places beneath the arena. Justice walks next to me the entire way, but she doesn't provide any comfort that you would expect would come with the presence of being next to a familiar person in an unfamiliar place.

She helps me into my uniform, which is a pair of tight black pants, almost identical to the ones that I had been wearing earlier this week; my shirt is a soft long sleeve shirt that is a bright yellow, which is the color that my district has been assigned, and a puffy black coat.

Justice steps back and looks me over. From my boots to my hair, which has been pulled back into a ponytail. "Expect it to be cold, okay? Very cold."

"Tributes please step into the elevators. I repeat, tributes please step into your elevators." A monotone voice cuts her off. She takes my arm and leads me to the glass cylinder in the corner of the room. "Goodbye Alvera. It's been a pleasure to be your stylist. Good luck." She must have timed that perfectly because just then, the metal plate begins to move upwards.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

**Oh my gosh guys, I am **_**soooo**_** sorry for the wait! I really am! I had really bad writers block, zero inspiration, and I was busy. But there's no excuse. Two weeks without an update? I feel bad. **

**Any who, happy Eater everybody! Thank you for reading. Are you excited for the arena and the Games? I know I am. Tell me how you liked the chapter in the reviews please. I will love you forever!**

**OH! Also, before I go, yes, I changed my pen name (or at least I tried to)! It used to be AMTdftba. Sjh but it should now be pretend it was just a dream. Tell me how you like that. And the name Giles comes from somewhere, if you can tell me where, I will be your best friend! Haha.**

**Bye everyone!**

**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**


	12. Important AN Please Read

**Hey guys, it's me. I want to let you know that I need to take a break for a while. Now before you start telling me that I shouldn't let me explain something to you. I was at the Boston Marathon yesterday, and you know the story with that. My aunt was running and we went to watch. Thankfully no one in my little group (which consisted on my aunt, my dad, my mom, and I) was hurt. I feel that it's too much for me to be dealing with right now, especially with all the violence of the Games, which was supposed to start in my next chapter. I am not sure when exactly the real chapter will be up, hopefully within a week or two, but I need to step away for a bit. Thank you for understanding, and I'm sorry to disappoint you if you were looking forward to this chapter.**

**DFTBA everyone.**

**– Pretend It Was Just A Dream**


	13. And The Games Begin

The only thing that can be seen in all directions is white. Snow covers everything like a thick white blanket. Rocks, trees, even the cornucopia is wrapped in it. Justice was right; it was going to be cold; _extremely _cold.

Off in the distance I could see a mountain of some sort. Only the blurry outline could be seen against the thick, grey clouds that dominated the sky; or what we knew of it. Part of the Games was the fact that we had no idea of where we are. We were brought to the catacombs, which is where we were prepped for our slaughter, in the hovercraft that had blacked out windows so that we weren't able to see which direction we were headed or where we would end up. Apparently, confusion and disorientation is part of the fun.

I look around the circle (or what I can see of it, some of my fellow tributes are blocked from my view by the cornucopia) and see the faces of all the other kids. Some have fear etched onto their faces, but others hold a stone-faced mask, making them impossible to read.

The cold has already made faces red, and fingers numb. The next few weeks were going to be torture, if I could last that long.

I spot Killian just two platforms down from me. We make brief eye contact, but even that few seconds was enough to have a silent exchange. I give him a nod, confirming that, even though we dislike each other, we were working together as a team, until our alliance had to be broken. It was a grim thought, but at the same time, it was comforting.

I look away as soon as Killian decides to break the eye contact that we made. Turning my head to the left, I see that Connor, the boy from District 9, is standing right beside me. I think back to the day of training I had. I asked him and his District partner to be my allies, and since I had my little...accident, I haven't been able to get my response from the two of them. As of the moment, they're still a threat to me, and I am still a target to them.

I take in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to clear my mind. I could go without the jumbled up thoughts that were spiking my anxiety.

My eyes moved to the mouth of the cornucopia. Everything was safely put in dark, metallic boxes, which were the only things in the area that weren't covered in snow. There was an upside and a downside to this system.

The good thing was that it would be easier to carry everything, since you could just tuck things inside of a box and run with it. The bad thing was that to actually know what you were picking up, you would have to take the time to sit and open the box to make sure it was something you would actually want.

My strategy is just to run in, grab a box or two, and get out. I don't want to be in the bloodbath. I'm actually going to try and win this. I promised myself that I wouldn't go down without a fight, and I'm sticking to that. Killian needs me, district needs me, but most importantly, Izel needs me. I could never just go and die on him like this. I would only be able to knowing that I did everything I could to stop it.

"_Ten_," a loud voice breaks the eerie silence, causing a few of us to jump. My adrenaline kicks in, making me hyper alert of everything and everyone.

"_Nine_," it calls out. I can see that the others are preparing themselves as well.

"_Eight,_" I wasn't able to tell if the voice was human or not. It had a strange monotone sound.

"_Seven...Six...Five...Four," _it boomed. Anyone who hadn't been in a position that allowed them to be able to break out into a full sprint before was now.

"_Three._" I take a shaky breath in, clearing my face of all emotion now. The reality was finally sinking in. I was going to have to fight to win this, and I was going to have to do so soon.

"_Two." _I let the breath out move my feet just an in, careful so that I don't slip and trigger the landmines below the platform.

"_One," _The voice rings out.

The Games have begun.

_**_Author's Note_**_

**Hello everyone! I am so terribly sorry for the wait, but I'm back now and I feel so much better. School is out for me, which means that I will be able to start writing more frequently, which means that you will be getting chapters again! Isn't that exciting?! **

**So, the Games have started, how do you feel about that? I'm sorry if the chapter sounds a bit rushed, I just had to put words down on paper. Also, this chapter is shorter for the same reason. I just had to get this chapter to you. Once I start writing again, I will be able to get into my character more, which means that chapters will be longer and my characters won't seem off...**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I will try to have another one to you sometime soon.**

**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**


	14. On The Run

As soon as the gong sounds, I take off running; running for my partner, running for supplies, running for my life. Adrenalin courses through my veins, I feel no fear and have no second thoughts. Of course, that is bound to change, once it gets later into the day and I am with Killian, the realization that my death could happen at any time will probably set it.

I give my head a little shake, pushing the thought away. I can't be thinking like that just yet, it will only hurt me in the long run.

"Killian," I cry out, reaching the mouth of the Cornucopia,. Tributes from all districts are fighting; pushing and shoving, _killing_. It's an awful sight to see, but when I catch sight of the second half of my district team running towards me, I feel oddly reassured, almost as if with him there, nothing could hurt me.

Killian motions to the supplies in the blacked out boxes. "Grab them and go," he says firmly, reaching for one, putting it on top of another, and running out of the bloodbath. How does he know he needs what's in there.

"Killian, Wait!" I start grabbing boxes as well, trying to pry the top off of one, seeing if the contents would be of any use. I see only a water bottle before Killian is by my side again, pushing the top back down. "Move damn it! Are you trying to get killed? GO!"

I don't question him or wait any longer to start moving my feet. He was right, I should keep going. If I didn't, I wouldn't last any longer than a few minutes, and I promised myself I would at least try. "Which way are we going," I call out to him, turning my head in time to see him point towards, what I believe is north.

I sprint after him, moving as fast as I possibly could while carrying the container. I am quickly finding myself out of breath though, I am not prepared for all of this running, but I suppose if it's what is going to happening for the next long while, I should get used to it.

We were moving for a good two hours, switching between running, jogging, and walking through the frozen tundra. The snow hasn't gotten any deeper, but soft, downy flakes come down all around us, tangling themselves in my hair, eyelashes, stinging the tip of my nose with their icy cold touch. "Killian," I gasp out, trying to catch my breath. "...Killian, st-stop for a second." I place the bins down on the ground in front of me and place my hands on my knees, still panting.

I hear him stop and put his tow bins down as well before surveying the area. We were pretty secluded; the two of us were standing on a hill, snow banks and covered rocks in all directions. From our spot, we can see the Cornucopia down in the valley. Just then, I jump when a cannon goes off. Then comes another and another until I count to ten. It's just past the bloodbath, and there's only fourteen of us left.

I give Killian a worried look as I run a hand through my thick, black hair, noticing some of it was frozen, my look only worsened.

He must have picked up on my signals because he then said, "Don't worry, Vera. We can make beds out of snow. I will dig into this bank and make a shelter. Believe it or not, it will help keep it somewhat warm inside. Not incredibly, but at least we won't freeze to death."

I nod, not really wanting to question him. Killian was acting so...different. I'm not sure if it was because people were watching, or because he finally learned how to not be a jackass all the time. "So, are we stopping here," I ask him, straightening myself out and fixing my jacket. I cross my arms over my chest and pull my hood up since my ears were stinging.

Killian just nodded and sighed, opening the lid to one of the bins he put in front of him. He carefully took the contents out of it, sorting them. By the time we had sorted through everything we had a total of three wool blankets, four plastic containers that could be used for holding water, a pocket knife with both a straight edge and a serrated knife, a thing of matches, a pile of kindling, and a hand gun with enough ammo for six rounds.

I look up at my teammate, eyes brimming with curiosity and fear. Gamemakers had never used guns before; I don't think anyone knows how to use one. I was about to asking a question about it, but Killian held up a hand and shook his head, meaning that he not only didn't know why they had decided to include guns in this game, but also the he didn't want to talk about it.

I could understand that, but only just a little. If we were going to get anywhere in these Games, we were going to have to communicate somehow.

Without another word, Killian puts everything away and starts digging a hole in one of the banks, just big enough for a person to get in it. About an hour and a half later, there was a small crevice dug into the snow, barely big enough for two people. It was almost like a tunnel, to get to the end, which didn't lead anywhere but a wall of solid ice, you would have to crawl a few feet into it.

"I hope you're not claustrophobic," Killian muttered, brushing his bright red hands off and sticking them in his pockets. "We'll put a blanket down and layer the other two. We will be sleeping together for warmth. Body heat." Though he acted so casually about the set up, it made me a bit uncomfortable. I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get any words out he hissed, "Don't say a word. I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to. Do you think I want to sleep next to you?"

There was the Killian I knew. We sat for a while, setting up our little den, placing one of the woolen blankets on the ground before going to sit on it. The way that the opening to the tunnel was made made it look almost as if nothing was special about the bank. Soon enough the anthem was playing, but neither of us wanted to face the pictures being projected. Instead, we both lied down and pulled the other two blankets over us, both of our bodies pressed together, and we, or maybe it was just me, drifted off to sleep.

_**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**_

**And another chapter's down! I am so sorry updates are coming so slow. School starts back up for me September third, but I am actually on vacation right now. Other news, I went to the ER recently for what we thought was the flu. Guess who had a really bad case of vertigo? Me!**

**Alright, how did you guys like this chapter? How do you like the story? Please tell me! Reviews give me motivation to write, which means you get an update sooner. Really, just a few words help you in the long run. Anyway, thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**

**REVIEW AND DFTBA!**


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